Martinsburg daily gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1887-1887, 1887-06-06
CHINESE MERCHANTS
THE MoNcoLlANs BRANCHING OUT
AS cRocERs, ETC.

Chinese Prosperity - Instanced ~ the
Growth or Provision stores in nfots
street-Articles Kept for sale-swest-
meats, Liquors.
Ever since the Americans native born
blue blooded) have given up the grocery
business and left it almost entirely ID
their Irish and German brethren, the
Chinese have been quietly starting gro.
Gerry stores on their own account. As d
matter of compliment they say, "Had the
Americans been properly attending I'd
their own business, the Cinnamon would
not have started 30 many oriental Del
icatessens' in this city, = as they think the
pure bl0oded American Is model Of
business integrity il nothing else.
The present great Chinese prosperity in
the provision line In New York started
about six years ago. There were then
but two stores, those Of Wa Kee and
Kwong Hing Lung. There are now
are still on the increase almost monthly.
Their progress Is only impeded BY the
present want Of suitable premises In which
street, from Pell street to Chatham square,
has been taken up by Chinese merchants;
even the large tenement houses are rap
idly being converted into Chinese head
quarters Nearly quarter OF China
town is now bought and paid for by the
Celestials.
CHINESE BUSINESS CAPACITY.
It may be interesting to many readers
- .-k AZ. II
business capacity Of New York and what
they deal In mostly. Let us first glance
over their retail trade exclusively among
themselves. The following are the prin-
cipal articles Of trade in the Chinese gro.
cerieS: Dried fowls, smoked and sailed
Chinese pork, sausages, ham, dried oys-
tiers, smoked oysters, dried and smoked
CLAIMS, shad dried, smoked and canned In
oil, and other fishes cured In lik manner,
shrimps and Holsters dried, ben curdla
in all varieties, like the Italian macaroni;
also canned bean curdle as catSup.
Chinese cabbage, dried, and also In bar
rels, cured in vinegar. This Is really de-
icious, md beats the saurkraut of Ger
man make in every respect Bamboo
shoots in all varieties, lily flowers dried,
sea weeds, fungus, mushrooms, sharks
fins. These are so cured that they re-
semble dried starch. When cooked with
pork they taste like delicately cooked
tripe. Beche dc mer "a species of sea
worm, greatly valued as food tonic by
all orientalS. Bears paws dried sell OF
about $12 per pound retail; also as tonic
bears gall as high as $40 per pound.
Chinese yams in all grades One called
J the WOO toe is really the finest; IL Is q
species not at all known here, but in taste
is much finer than the ordinary potato; II
has very tough but thin skin. When
growing it has leaves resembling our
water lilies. just about this time Of the
year the Chinese gardeners of New York
are furnishing their countrymen with
fresh grown Chinese vegetables, which
are rather poor in quality, probably owing
to the peculiar soil here. The koo qua, or
bitter melon, is most favorite dish
among the New York Cinnamon just now,
and it Is eaten like the continental pump.
kins by the Yankees of New England.
Koo qua is grown somewhere on Long
Island and Is sold 1t twenty-five cents q
pound fresh.
PUMPKINS AND BIRDS NESTS.
But the Chinese pumpkins grown here
are nero limitations OF what they are in
their own native soil. Birds nests arc
also extensively sold among the well tc
do class Of our Monaghan citizens. They
axe sold all the way from 50 TO go pei
pound, according to quality. The best
are plucked of from the rocks when the
busy little swallows have Just finished IN
building their tender but brilliant little
homes with the finest part Of adelicate
little shellfish that abounds In the south
ern seas. But the most curious Of all fhe
articles Of trade among the Chinese gro.